Enab Baladi – Khaled al-Jeratli

The issue of foreign jihadists has cast a shadow over Western foreign policies towards Syria shortly after the fall of the Assad regime, yet it did not emerge as a fundamental condition in Western dealings with Damascus until early March, when clashes erupted between fighters loyal to the ousted regime and the General Security Forces affiliated with the new Syrian Ministry of Interior.

The clashes were interspersed with retaliatory operations carried out on a sectarian basis, according to reports from specialized organizations such as the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), and foreign fighters were accused of being involved, which drew renewed attention to this issue.

In the latest connection between the Western perspective on Syria from various windows, including foreign jihadists, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine stated regarding a European message directed to Damascus, “The violations that occurred in recent days (referring to the events in the coastal region) are truly intolerable and those responsible must be identified and condemned.”

Three European envoys asserted their countries’ stance during a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Damascus, stating that eliminating jihadist fighters is their top priority, and that international support for the emerging administration may dwindle unless decisive actions are taken on this matter.

Reuters quoted the three European envoys on March 26, along with four unnamed regional officials during a visit to Damascus, asserting the necessity of the authorities controlling the security situation across the country and preventing a recurrence of killings.

One European envoy, part of the group that conveyed the message to Damascus, said, “We demanded accountability. Perpetrators of massacres must be punished. The security forces must be purified.”

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which dominates decision-making in Damascus, and the jihadist groups allied with it, include many foreign fighters within their ranks, who arrived in Syria following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution 14 years ago.

A dangerous file

To achieve what the West aspires to from the new Syrian administration, Syrian Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa must deal with a group of foreign fighters within its ranks, alongside countries that are attempting to turn Syria back into a chessboard.

According to what Reuters reported from diplomats and analysts, any action against the jihadists who carried out killings in the coastal region poses a threat of igniting internal conflicts among factions, cleansing operations, and power struggles, leaving the new government trapped in a paradox.

Recent events in the Syrian coastal region have been viewed from a Western perspective as connected to foreign fighters within the Syrian army, despite the lack of clear evidence of this. Foreign jihadists have been prevalent in Syria for years, initially to support rebel factions in their war against the Assad regime, before the regime fell and these fighters became involved in the Syrian Ministry of Defense.

Recently, the new Syrian government responded to events on the Syrian coast by forming committees to hold violators accountable, granting these committees broad powers. They began their activities immediately and continue to this day.

Western refusal and Syrian persistence

On January 10, Western envoys from the US, France, and Germany warned the new administration in Syria that appointing foreign jihadists to high military positions represents a “security concern and a poor image” for it, at a time it is trying to establish relations with foreign countries.

Reuters quoted an American official stating that the US warning comes as part of Western efforts to push new Syrian leaders to reconsider this step.

The source added that the warning was issued during a meeting between US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and transitional Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on January 8 in Damascus.

At that time, unnamed officials from the new Syrian administration stated that foreign fighters had “made sacrifices” to help overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s regime and would have a place in Syria, adding that “citizenship could be granted to them.”

On December 31, 2024, two Syrian sources told Reuters that the new administration included some foreign fighters, including an Igor, a Jordanian, and a Turk, into the armed forces as Damascus attempts to form a professional army comprised of a mix of opposition groups.

What are Damascus’ options?

Expert in jihadist groups, Orabi Orabi, downplayed the significance of the presence of foreign elements within the Syrian army, considering that these foreign fighters would not form a bloc within Syrian institutions.

He stated to Enab Baladi that the new Syrian administration is working to disperse foreigners across broad sectors of the army, meaning they would not be confined to a particular place or sector.

He added that there would be no presence of foreigners in the civil state administration; one would not hear of a Chechen fighter holding a ministerial or administrative position, but these elements might be present in security sectors and logistical sectors within the army or training sectors.

He pointed out that foreign jihadists will mostly be within training sectors of the army and distributed across all provinces.

Orabi also mentioned that it is possible to benefit from the expertise of foreign fighters in the Syrian army, especially since most of them have married in Syria and integrated into Syrian society.

He added that this issue is not a significant problem; it is possible to exclude leaders whose loyalty to Syria is in doubt or who carry extremist jihadist ideology by removing them from the scene or even expelling them from Syria if they pose a threat to internal security before being a threat to external security.

In 2014, with the initial emergence of foreign fighters in Syria in the media, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the increase in foreign fighters in Syria, whether supporting the regime or the opposition, ignites what it described as “sectarian violence,” warning that their involvement in the conflict could destabilize the entire region.

At that time, the high commissioner indicated foreign fighters fighting alongside the Syrian regime from Iranians, Lebanese, and Afghans, in addition to jihadist fighters fighting alongside the opposition.